2018 Dodge Durango: Release date, prices, specs, and features

The Dodge vehicle family muscle mission doesn’t stop with the 2018 Dodge Durango crossover. The brawny ride with its steel unibody isn’t by definition an SUV, as it lacks body-on-frame construction. CUV classification doesn’t stop Durangos from carrying three rows of passenger seats, towing as much as to 8,700 pounds, or lighting up the pavement in the SRT version.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Jeep Grand Cherokee shares two engines and some other mechanical components with the Durango, but the Grand Cherokee is a five-passenger vehicle. The Durango is longer, wider, taller, and heavier than the Grand Cherokee, plus, depending on trim, the Durango can seat six or seven passengers, including the driver.

What’s new for 2018

Dodge’s 2018 mission for the Durango: Spread SRT styling attributes to other trim levels to raise the Durango’s overall badass quotient. The 2018 Durango R-T has the same front styling as the SRT, including front fascia, performance hood, lower valence, and fog lights. Other trims and powertrains and appearance packages for all powertrains. All 2018 Durangos have rearview backup cameras, new sport steering wheels, and a driver-oriented electronic T-shifters.

2018 Dodge Durango engines

Three engines power 2018 Durango models. The smallest of the three mills, with the best fuel economy, is a 3.6L Pentastar V6. The V6 makes 293 horsepower at 6,400 rpm with a single exhaust and 295 horsepower with dual exhaust. Torque with either exhaust system is 260 pound-feet at 4,000 rpm. Durangos with the V6 can tow up to 6,200 pounds of boat, camper, or trailer.

Fueling the V6 with 87 octane gas is fine. Rear wheel drive Durangos with the V6 have an EPA average rating of 19 mpg in city driving, 26 mpg on the highway, and 21 mpg combined. With AWD the combined V6 mileage rating stays the same at 21 mpg but city and highway driving each drop one mile per gallon to 18 mpg and 25 mpg, respectively. The V6 is standard on the SXT, SXT Plus, GT, and Citadel Durango trims.

The Durango R/T runs a 5.7L Hemi V8 rated at 360 hp at 5,150 rpm and 390 lb-ft of torque at 4,250 rpm. You can use 87 octane gas, but Dodge recommends midrange 89 octane. Rear wheel and all-wheel drive Durangos with the 5.7L Hemi are EPA rated at 14 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 17 mpg in combined driving. The 5.7L Hemi is an option on the Durango Citadel.

The high-performance Durango SRT gets its power from a 6.4L V8 that wails with 475 hp at 6,000 rpm and 470 lb-ft of torque at 4,300 rpm. Feed the SRT 91 octane premium gas. The SRT’s EPA fuel economy rating likely matters little to people who will buy it, but for the record, it’s 13 mpg in city driving, 19 mpg on the highway and 15 mpg combined.

Handling, suspension, brakes, and drivetrain systems vary among Durango trims. The SXT and GT trims have anti-lock four-wheel disc brakes, with heavy-duty upgrades for the Citadel and R/T trims and high-performance Brembo brakes on the SRT. The R/T has a lowered-height sport suspension while the SRT has a Bilstein high-performance active damping suspension. AWD SXT, GT, and Citadels use a single-speed full-time AWD setup. The R/T has two-speed, active on-demand AWD. The SRT uses FCA’s Quadra-Trac active on-demand 4WD system.

2018 Dodge Durango tech

All Durango models have electronic stability control, including vehicle stability management, electronic roll mitigation, all-speed traction control, brake assist, and 4-channel anti-lock brakes. Also, all trims include hill-start assist to prevent rolling back when starting on an incline, rain brake support, ready alert braking, and trailer sway control.

Passive safety and driver assistance features are available in option packages for most models (not the base SXT), but the only feature across all trims is a rearview backup camera. The tables below indicate passive safety and assist features that are standard (in bold), optional, or not available for each trim.

How to choose a 2018 Dodge Durango

Six trims with available appearance packs and the choice of RWD or AWD on four of the six may be confusing, but in some ways, Dodge makes the choices easy. All Durangos have 8-speed automatic transmissions and only the GT can upgrade to a larger engine, in this case from the V6 to the 5.7L V8.

The 2018 Durango trim breakdown includes three standard models, the SXT, SXT Plus, and GT. The other three Durango trims are the luxury model Citadel, the performance-focused R/T, and the full-out, hard-charging Durango SRT. We’ve broken down major differences between each trim in the text and tables below.

The base 2018 Durango SXT, starting price $29,995, is available with rear-wheel drive only — 4WD is not available. The SXT’s 293-hp V6 engine has stop/start technology and can tow up to 6.200 pounds. The SXT has a perforated leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, a 7-Inch color driver information digital cluster display, keyless entry with push-button start, and a rearview backup camera.

The SXT’s Uconnect 4 infotainment system has a 7-inch touchscreen and a 6-speaker AM/FM audio system with support for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth streaming audio, and integrated voice command.  

2018 Dodge Durango SXT Plus

Moving up one level from the base, the 2018 Durango SXT Plus ($33,490 for RWD, $36,090 for 4WD) has all the SXT features plus bright roof side rails with integrated crossbars, an 8-way power driver seat with 4-way power lumbar adjustment, rear parking assistance, and a one-year subscription to SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The 2018 Durango GT (RWD starting at $37,795 and 4WD at $40,395) adds 20-inch aluminum wheels, dual exhaust with bright tips, LED daytime running lamps, and leather seats with suede inserts.

Getting fancy with shiny surfaces and luxury upgrades, the 2018 Durango Citadel ($42,145 with RWD, $44,745 with 4WD) adds 20-inch aluminum wheels with a polished finish, bright roof rails, and HID headlamps with automatic high-beam control and automatic leveling.

The Citadel has Nappa leather seating, ventilated front seats, rain-sensing wipers, and a power sunroof. Standard equipment also includes both front and rear parking assistance. The top-level Uconnect 4C NAV with 8.4-Inch Touchscreen with navigation informs and entertains passengers, assisted by an Alpine Premium Audio System with nine speakers and a subwoofer

The 2018 Durango Citadel Anodized Platinum package ($46,140 to start) adds upgraded 20-inch wheels, a soft-touch hand-wrapped and stitched instrument panel, heated second-row captain’s chairs, and platinum chrome interior and exterior accents.

If you prefer a vehicle that hauls faster than a typical CUV/SUV but your budget demands keeping the price under $50 grand, your Durango sweet spot is the 2018 R/T, $43,695 to start with RWD or $46,294 with 4WD. The R/T’s 360-hp 5.7L HEMI V8 engine has 7,400-pound towing capacity and comes with 20-inch low-gloss aluminum wheels, performance steering and suspension. The R/T also has what Dodge describes as a “performance front fascia” taken directly from the even more badass (and costly) Durango SRT.

Other R/T trim upgrades include LED fog lamps, auto-leveling HID headlamps with automatic high-beams, Nappa leather-trimmed seats in all rows and ventilated seats in the front. Infotainment takes another step up with the R/T, which comes with the Uconnect 4C NAV with 8.4-inch touchscreen including navigation plus a Beats Audio Premium Sound System with nine speakers and a subwoofer.

This year’s Durango with the highest badass quotient is the SRT ($62,995 to start), available with performance-tuned all-wheel drive only. The SRT’s 475-hp 6.4L HEMI SRT V8 engine is capable of 0-to-60 runs in 4.4 seconds, according to Dodge and can tow up to 8,700 pounds, the highest of all Durango trims. The SRT has a flat-bottom performance steering wheel with SRT paddle shifters and active noise cancellation system for a quieter ride inside.

The SRT’s strong array of go-fast bits includes Brembo 6-piston high-performance brakes and Bilstein active-damping, high-performance suspension. SRT Performance Pages and SRT drive modes let you change the Durango’s character and ride form a full-on performance persona to a demeanor more suitable for dropping off your kids for soccer practice. The SRT’s functional exterior styling and 20×10-inch wide wheels with black finish don’t allow you to arrive incognito, a coverup arguably better handled by the Durango’s FCA-related Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT.